Last night's game is proof that the Astros, while improved in the bullpen and on the field, desperately need a few starting pitchers if we want to contend. As far as I'm concerned, Feldman is a pinball machine who can't be counted on. I don't know whether Wojo or Oberholtzer will ever amount to much, but I doubt that either is ready to take on a playoff run just yet. We need for some of the minor league phenoms to step up and contribute as early as this year, and that may be asking too much out of them too.
Basically, we've got Keuchel and McHugh and pray for rain. Deduno is an enigma and has been for his entire career--good arm but very inconsistent. Carmonadez is adequate, but he won't take you to the playoff promised land either, although he's been an adequate five who's been pressed into the four. The hitting is streaky, as the last two days demonstrates. Despite a lot of righthanded hitters, we're susceptible to soft-tossing portsiders who can throw offspeed pitches for strikes or that look like strikes.
I think that we can win more than we lose, but the starting pitching piece as it presently stands probably will hold the club back. However, brighter days are ahead, and i'm very confident that Luhnow and his merry band of brainiacs will solve this problem.
